Hello from my living room in Abilene, Texas! I was hoping to write my last post from Connecticut, but our four days there were filled with wedding festivities. The bride and groom were gracious hosts, patiently chauffeuring guests who came from far off places like the Cayman islands and California! It was a sweet reunion for my husband and his college buddies, and of course they all enjoyed meeting Mrs. Scooter 🙂 Our travels back to Texas were perfect compared to our last flying experience, and we arrived back in Abilene with some time to recuperate before heading back to work.
Such a beautiful wedding for Victor and Danielle Moya!
In a previous post, I mentioned that I was going to write about how the artist in me has rested. I really thought I would be sketching more, trying some things new things, but I really didn’t do as much. I was a little surprised at myself, but what I didn’t realize is that part of me needed to rest just as much as my body did. Instead of setting goals, I pulled out my sketched book whenever I felt the urge to do so. I did draw outside, sketch something different, try a new medium, but I didn’t overdo it.
A house in the forest of Virginia
You can’t see it, but there’s a lake at the bottom of the hill. I just had to try and capture it!
I found more renewal in finding inspiration again. The biggest driving force for an artist is inspiration. I can’t just pull ideas out of thin air. They almost always come from somewhere, something, or someone. I’m often inspired by other artists as well. The great Pablo Picasso once said, “Good artists copy; great artists steal.” While we don’t mean to plagiarize, we artists often rely on each other in some capacity to keep the flame burning.
The two main things that absolutely enamored me during our travels were the architecture in the north east and the work of great artists like Degas, Monet, and Picasso at the Albright-Knox museum. There is so much history in places like Buffalo and Connecticut, and the way houses were built reflects some of that. I took as many picture as I could and I plan on doing a series of ink sketches to frame in our home. And of course, how can you not be amazed standing in front of an original masterpiece that’s larger than life?! Jackson Pollock is one of my favorite abstract expressionists, and it was incredible to see one of his pieces with my own eyes. I walked away from this museum remembering why I love art so much.
Convergence, one of Pollock’s most famous paintings, is almost 8 feet tall and nearly 13 feet wide!
Old house in Niagara Falls, NY
And so ends my Sabbatical. I’m well rested, stress free, and ready to be back at work! I’m extremely thankful that FD gave me this unique opportunity. Everyone I talked to about why I had so much time off was completely amazed that an employer would do such a thing. A big thank you to Kris, the executives, and my fellow graphic designers and department for covering my butt while I was gone!